Understanding Violence and Crime
The social background of an individual has the potential to affect their life chances, behaviors and attitudes. It means that each factor in an individual’s life has a crucial effect on them. Psychologists found that when negative factors accumulate, they can transform an individual into someone else as they try to cope with the problems that they face on a daily basis (Seifert, 2011). Based on this fact, it is the reason a person who has been a victim of a crime can possibly resort into crime without taking into consideration the consequences of their actions. Psychological problems that was triggered by the crime experience is the reason the victim ended up resorting into crime as a way to revenge, forget, feel better or heal (Massgov, n.d). The role of the criminal justice system is to bring justice to everyone and in a case where a person was triggered into crime because of their past bad experience the courts can decide to consider sending them to rehab instead of jail. Understanding criminal behaviors is important because it is the best way in which true justice can be achieved and the problem of violence solved.
There are several things that may trigger an individual to become a criminal. The most common reasons being peer pressure, the need to have a better lifestyle, poor upbringing, and being victims of crime. The case of a woman who was a victim of a crime and decided to resort to crime is a perfect example that shows some of the things that trigger criminal behaviors that needs to be understood by the criminal justice system when making judgments. The criminal nature of the woman in this case was possibly triggered by lack of self-control and the desire to revenge back to the world for the suffering it brought her. It means that her violent nature was to achieve a particular instrumental goal (Seifert, 2011). For instance, she wanted other people to experience what she felt while a victim of crime. If such an individual is taken to jail because they are found guilty of crime, their hatred towards the world would have become worse. Therefore, their possibility of committing crime again after being released is high.
It is important to understand that the likelihood of the woman’s criminal nature increasing would have been high as the benefits went up. As more people suffered as a result of her criminal behaviors, she would have felt better. The woman possibly did not value happiness instead sought suffering in crime as a way to morally cleans herself. The best way in which the courts could have handled the woman was by sending her to rehabilitation center to work on her emotions especially anger and disgust towards people. It is because these bad emotions were the main things that triggered her into crime (Seifert, 2011). However, her reason to resort to crime was not justified because she had a choice to forgive and live a better life which is morally upright.
The courts were not lenient on the woman; it was the best choice to make as a way to help in solving possible future crimes caused by the same person. The victim might have felt that justice was not served, but it was the best verdict for the well-being of the woman who was suffering psychologically. However, the woman got what she deserved because in the rehab center, she would be taught the importance of living morally right and the aspects of forgiveness. She was going to be protected from herself and ensure that she becomes a responsible member of the society ones she has served her term in seclusion.
In summary, pain caused by being a victim of crime can be incomprehensible to other people. However, understanding the criminal behaviors of individuals who have been victims of crime is the possible way to which violence in the society can be minimized. The decisions of the courts should be to ensure that the ultimate moral good is achieved in the life of the criminal. They have to risk understanding crime in the context of values and ways of life of an individual to make the best judgment.
References
Massgov. (n.d). In the aftermath of crime: A guide to victim rights and services in Massachusetts. Retrieved from http://www.mass.gov/mova/docs/aftermath-of-crime.pdf
Seifert, K. (2011, Dec 23). Why do people resort to violence? Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/stop-the-cycle/201112/why-do-people-resort-violence